Blog Posts
Earth Day Pledge
Not too long ago I worked on the 24th floor at a large bank in New York City. If I peered over my cubicle wall I had a pretty awesome view of the Hudson River, but that view was oh-so-torturous. Every time I looked up it reminded me that I was stuck inside pretty much...
How To Take Kick Ass Sunset Photos
Sunsets. They all are not created equal. Yes, they all are beautiful, but some are just out-of-this-world, breathtakingly beautiful. Living in Costa Rica, I have witnessed countless magical sunsets here in Tamarindo. These beauties influenced me to start designing and...
Send Some Love Giveaway
Remember going on vacation, and your only way of communication back home was a long-distance phone call or a postcard that would take a week to arrive at its destination? Where you could leave your work on your desk; no internet and (gasp), no WIFI! AND you actually...
Spring Cleaning
Honey, do you notice anything different? Take a closer look... The waves went F-L-A-T so I glued myself to my laptop and redesigned Samba to the Sea. Notice anything different yet? OK, here is your sneak peak. Click on the link and have a gander. If you were...
Stinebaugh Family
Spring Break. Unlike the college craziness that descends upon Cancun, South Beach, or Punta Cana each year, Tamarindo is a great Spring Break getaway for families. Enter the Stinebaugh family. Hailing from the Dallas area in Texas, I had a great time shooting this...
Carolina On My Mind
Can you keep a secret? Her name is Carolina and she is hidden away in the Costa Rican rainforest. She is a true beauty, au natural. She will refresh you in her cool waters, keep you smiling with her Southern hospitality, provide plenty of opportunities to work up a...
The Long and Short of It
Waves, waves, waves. Over the past couple of months, in conjunction with MI OLA and a little help from Señor Google, I have chatted a lot about waves; how waves are made, wind conditions, where and what direction waves break, and swell direction. So what is next? With...
72 Hours
72 hours. 3 days in Costa Rica. Can it be done? Well, of course it can be done, but can it be done right??? Enter Jen and Colin. Jen and I grew up as enemies. As in basketball enemies; she played on a rival basketball team. Then we ended up attending the same...
Just Swell
The swell is coming, the swell is coming... Well, technically, waves are always coming, it just depends on when they actually are going to arrive. BUT, waves are actually coming this week…hold on Northern Costa Rica we are about to get lit up! Since I have...
Dear Nikon
Dear Nikon, My name is Kristen and I live in Tamarindo, Costa Rica. I am a dreamer and a doer. I love to dance with waves {surf}, chase sunsets, stand on my head, and laugh my butt off. I am also head-over-heels in love with taking photographs with my Nikon DSLR...
Boat House Apparel
The surfing world can be very small at times. Like one or two degrees of separation small. Enter Becca. She contacted me back in December about her upcoming trip to Tamarindo. It just so happens that I not only know her brother through surfing Tamarindo, but also...
Glass-sea
Over the past couple of months, my inner nerd has been researching and reporting on the science behind waves and surfing for the MI OLA blog. With the help of Google, I have covered how waves are made, where and what direction they break, wind conditions, and swell...
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Kristen M. Brown is an internationally published lifestyle photographer and the photographer behind Samba to the Sea™.
Based in Tamarindo, Costa Rica & Savannah, GA. All images © 2025. All Rights Reserved.